Antrim Reserve Cup Football Final
St Brigids 3-14 St Galls 0-12
Paul McIntyre reports from Davitt Park
St Brigids claimed the reserve football championship title on Saturday afternoon following an eleven-point win over St Galls at the picturesque setting of Davitt Park.
In an entertaining game where both sides were intent on all out attack, it was the South Belfast’s side greater potency up front which claimed them the title.
St Galls will look back on the contest and think that on another day, their wide tally would be a lot less than the fourteen they chalked up over the hour. St Brigids were a lot more economical and only shot six over the duration.
They also found Brigids keeper Kevin McGovern in top form too.
With his kick outs on the money, he also denied St Galls two goals with two fine stops in the second half, and when he was beaten, captain Paul Finnegan was there to clear Dara Deleany’s goal bound effort off the line.
They also had an over reliance on Bara McCaffrey. The corner forward claimed 0-4 on the day and looks like he’s ready to make the step up to senior level in the not-too-distant future.
For the winners Peter Webb and Ryan Tweedy look like they could well feature in Anthony McGrath’s plans before the season is out.
The duo bagged a combined 1-10 between them and in Tweedy in particular, they have a forward with a keen eye for a score. The young corner forward gave Colin Brady a torrid time throughout the contest.
St Galls seemed to settle the quicker and raced into an early two nil lead thanks to a mark from Conn Doherty and McCaffrey’s first effort of the day.
Ryan Tweedy got St Brigids of the mark in the 5th minute before Niall Burns kicked St Galls back into a two-point lead.
Then came the first of St Brigids three goals in the 6th minute.
Toirealach Brolly popped up from wing back and his shot was well saved by Niall McCurdy but the rebound fell invitingly for Damian Magee to blast to the net.
St Galls almost replied with a goal of their own.
Corner back Dubhaltach MacLaim ran almost the length of the pitch and he picked out Burns whose left foot shot skimmed McGovern’s post and went wide.
St Galls were punished for their lack of killer instinct in the 19th minute when St Brigids tightened their strangle hold on the game when they hit the net for a second time.
Sean McKernan was upended in the square and referee Barry Hotchkiss had no option than to award a penalty and Webb drilled his penalty into the back of the net for a five-point buffer that the Biddies would hold on to until the break.
Half time, St Brigids 2-7 St Galls 0-8.
Burns went close to cutting that lead down to two at the start of the second half but McGovern was more than equal to his goal bound shot while at the other end Tweedy kicked St Brigids into a six-point lead.
Points from Burns and substitute Conall McCabe kept St Galls in touch but when St Brigids hit the next four points without reply through Webb, Tweedy and two from Peter Lundy, it opened up an eight-point lead as the game ticked into the final ten minutes.
St Galls were now throwing caution to the wind and when another goal chance went abegging, they found themselves exposed at the back and St Brigids took advantage to effectively wrap the game up as a contest in the 56th minute.
A long ball out of the St Brigids defence was picked up on half way by Tweedy who set off for the St Galls goal and as he drew the last covering defender, he set up Luke McCann for a goal chance that he was never going to spurn, and the full forward finished high to the St Galls net to seal a convincing eleven-point victory.
Teams and scorers:
St Brigids: Kevin McGovern, Sean McKernan, Joe McCarney, Shay Campbell, Toirealach Brolly (0-2), Reuben Carleton, Paul Finnegan, Conor Slevin, Ronan Devlin, Niall Lundy, Peter Webb 1-3 1-0 Pen), Thomas McCarney, Damian Magee (1-0), Daragh Fox, Ryan Tweedy (0-7 1 Mark, 1f).
Subs: Peter Lundy (0-2) for Finnegan (25), Daniel Foster for Campbell (HT), Ryan Murtagh for Fox (40), Brian McCarthy for McKernan (43), Luke McCann (1-0) for Magee (54).
St Galls: Niall McCurdy, Dubhaltach MacLaim, Jack Hopkins, Colin Brady, Fergus Donnelly, Ruairi Wilson, Eoghan McCurdy, Conall McGirr, Conor Ryan, Michael Hopkins (0-1), Oran McElhatton, Dara Delaney (0-1), Bara McCaffrey (0-4 1f), Conn Doherty (0-1 Mark), Niall Burns (0-3 1f).
Subs: Kevin Bradley for McElhatton (25), Conall McCabe (0-1) for M Hopkins (38), Callum Derby (0-1) for Donnelly (49), Matthew McCaffrey Deleaney (54), Lorcán Barra Ó Ciaráin for Wilson (54).
Referee: Mr Barry Hotchkiss
